No Goodbyes
by lil-hermione-at-heart
Summary: Listen to Taking Over Me by Evanescence Peeta has just been rescued from the iron grip of the Capital and brought back to the safety of District 13. But his messed with memory of Katniss and supposed want to kill her has her torn to pieces. But since when has Katniss Everdeen ever let anyone she loved slip away without a fight? Mockingjay spoilers!


**Chapter One**

Katniss lay in her bed in her compartment of District 13, tracing her fingers over the slowly disappearing bruises that wrapped around her neck, where just a few short days ago Peeta tried to end her life. As she relived the scene in her mind, tears came to her eyes; the pounding of her heart as Haymitch came to tell her Peeta had been rescued, her shortness of breath as she ran all the way to the hospital to him so her face could be the first he saw when he awoke, the butterflies that assaulted her stomach as she once again saw those bright blue eyes, and the relief that swept through her at seeing him mostly in one piece. But then the horror that overtook her senses as she tried to understand why his hands were wrapped so tightly around her neck.

She rolled to her side and tried to stifle the sobs that were wracking her body. A single word plagued her thoughts as she tried and tried and tried to understand what had happened to Peeta. _Hijacked._ Not very many people really understood what the word meant. Only old Beetee had any sort of comprehension of it. As Katniss tried to run over the meaning again, she started to cry harder, mainly out of fear that she might have lost him for good. Even though Prim tried her hardest to make the others understand that they needed to get Peeta better, the looks on their faces and their solemn words just made Katniss' fear worse.

But she was still Katniss. The same girl who never went down without a fight. The same girl would do anything to protect the ones she loved. And the same girl who wouldn't let her family and friends suffer without fighting for them with all she had. Which is exactly why she wasn't going to let go or give up that easily on Peeta.

As the resolution to get Peeta back settled in her mind, Katniss slowly let herself slip into unconsciousness. But as usual, the nightmares attacked. She watched as Snow tortured every person she loved. Then just as they were about to be relieved by death, the Capital doctors would come in and put them back together, only to be tortured again; a never ending cycle. As she was just about to watch Snow tear off another one of Gale's nails, she awoke with a start, springing back into reality. But as the dream began to leak into her conscious mind, the tears started to fall, leaving her longing for Peeta's warm and safe arms that had so often been her only source of comfort from these constant night terrors.

Determined to reach Peeta in some way or another, Katniss slipped out of her bed, passed her sleeping mother and Prim, and out the door. Her steps were quick and light, just like a hunter's. But as she neared Peeta's room, she slowed to a dead stop, pressing her ear against the door to listen for any sign of disturbance or movement. When she was just met with silence, she quietly eased the door open and stepped inside, leaving the door cracked in case she needed a quick getaway since it only opened from the other side. But just as she thought that, she mentally slapped herself for thinking she would need to escape from Peeta, a boy who has done but care for her and love her all her life. However, when she swallowed to clear the lump in her throat, the pain from her last encounter with him reminded her why she was being so cautious.

Katniss walked slowly to Peeta, pulling up a chair as close to his bedside as she could, and took in everything around them; he was laying on his side facing the one way glass mirror with his hands balled up in fists, his wrists wrapped in chains that kept him tied to the bed rails, the tubs and contraptions attached to his arms, the sweat that was beading up on his forehead and neck most likely him struggling with some sort of nightmare, and the scars that were so prominent from all the different ways the Capital could have tortured him. As she took in the sight of him, she couldn't help the tears that once again returned to her eyes, wishing there was something she could do to help him in any way possible.

She kept her eyes trained on his face, watching as his eyes seemed to shift widely beneath the lids, listening as his breath got raged, and as expressions of pain and anger flashed across his features as his muscles tensed tighter and tighter. Katniss couldn't stand to let him just suffer through this pain so, as gently as she could, she wrapped her hand around his as she whispered, "Peeta, Peeta, please wake up. Peeta."

She gave his hand the slightest shake and his eyes flashed open, wildly taking in the person who sat before him. As she searched his eyes for any sign of the Peeta she knew, tears continued falling as she came up empty handed.

She could see the confusion he was feeling as his brows squeezed together in concentration, either to figure out who she was or why she was crying. She couldn't help but feel the stab in her heart at the realization that her Peeta didn't seem to be there anymore. She looked away as she let her hand fall from his, landing only a few inches away. Her other hand came up to her face as she frantically tried to wipe away the tears that seemed to be flowing like a waterfall. But as she desperately tried to get the tears to stop, she felt warm calloused hands wrap around her own. Looking up, she was met with clear blue eyes that once again radiated with love.

A smile broke across her face as she put her other hand on his face, her thumb running along his cheekbone, brushing away the few tears that were now leaking from those ocean orbs. She couldn't help herself when she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his dry and cracked lips and thrilled beyond belief with they began to kiss her back. But as she pulled away before things got out of hand, she opened her eyes to meet his and slowly watched as the love and care slowly vanished from them only to be replaced by anger.

She began to wince as the gentle hands that were holding hers tightened and squeezed it that she feared he might break it. As she cried out in pain, she quickly pulled her hand away, as the sudden sound seemed to surprise him enough to loosen his grip a bit. She looked down at her hand, relieved to see that it didn't look like he had done much damage, though she was sure it would be bruised like crazy by morning. As she returned her gaze to his, her heart broke again as she saw hatred reflecting in those gorgeous blue eyes she had missed so much. But it only made her resolution to save him that much stronger.

She slowly backed out of the room, leaving Peeta laying there staring daggers at her. As her hand wrapped around the door handle behind her, she whispered so quietly, "I'm so sorry, Peeta."

She quickly slipped out of the room and ran all the way back to her compartment. After slipping in quietly as to not wake her mother and Prim, Katniss went into the bathroom carefully closing the door behind her and flipped on the light. She braced her hands on either side of the sink and looked at her reflection. Her eyes looked like she'd gotten into a fight they were rimmed with such dark circles, her own lips were as dry as a desert, and she was so pale from being trapped underground in District 13.

But the longer she looked at herself, she couldn't help but hear what Peeta would say if the real him saw her right now, what he would think. And his words overtook her thoughts.

She let his imaginary words comfort and calm her crazed mind and the fear fled her expression to be replaced by the smallest smile; the only smile she'd managed since the truth of Peeta's return had become known. She left the bathroom and slid back into bed as Peeta's soft voice continued in her mind and his imaginary embrace wrapped around her like he had done all those nights on the train and in the arena. She let him slowly put her to sleep as she decided she would do anything and everything she could to bring Peeta back to her, no matter what it took.


End file.
